LINGUIST List 12.2374

Tue Sep 25 2001

Qs: Symmetrical Quantification, Hispanic Ling Text

Editor for this issue: Karen Milligan <karenlinguistlist.org>

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Dear Linguists:
I am doing research on adult second language learner's
interpretation of (among other things) the universal quantifier every
in English. One question that arises is whether there is a language
that displays symmetrical quantification - for example when shown the
following figure and asked "Is every boy riding a pony?" ( and BP=boys
on ponies and X = a pony alone)
BP BP BP X
children of a certain age and some adult L2 learners will answer "NO" and
when asked to explain their answer, point to X and say "Not that one." Is
there a language in the world that also allows this reading?
Thank you in advance for your help, and I'll post a summary of any
relevant facts.
Best,
Margo DelliCarpini
Department of Linguistics
SUNY Stony Brook
Stony Brook, NY USA

Dear Colleagues:
Could anyone please recommend a textbook for an introductory course in
Hispanic linguistics (written in either Spanish or English)?
Thanks very much for your help.
Sincerely,
John J. Stevens, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Spanish
Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures
The University of North Carolina at Wilmington
stevensjuncwil.edu